


beginnings

by FancifulRivers



Series: warmth [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Neglect, Magical Dudley Dursley, What do you mean magic is real?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 06:05:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15018302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FancifulRivers/pseuds/FancifulRivers
Summary: Harry and Dudley learn that magic is really real.





	beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> It might help if you've read the other stories in the series.

"Harry," Dudley whispered in his ear. He mumbled something incomprehensible, bitter disappointment flooding his throat. He'd been having such a  _wonderful_ dream-

"Harry," Dudley repeated insistently. Harry opened his eyes. His stunned gaze met Dudley's. His cupboard mattress had never felt so luxurious, nor had he ever had such marvelously soft sheets-

It  _wasn't_ a dream.

"It's not a dream," he said, in a very slow, wondering voice.

"No, it's not," another voice snapped. Startled, his eyes flew to the sneering man, Snape, who stood at the door, dressed in what looked like a long, fancy black dress. Harry squinted. They couldn't  _possibly_ be-

"I am wearing robes, P- Harry," Snape said stiffly. "They are the usual mode of dress when one is a witch or wizard."

"But what  _is_ that?" Dudley asked. "Sir," he added when Snape's face turned murderous.

"Get dressed," Snape replied instead of answering his cousin's question. "We shall breakfast in the Great Hall."

Harry expected to wear Dudley's cast-offs, but to his surprise, a miniature version of Snape's robes were laid out at the end of the bed. Dudley had matching ones (although naturally larger), and he held them up with a dubious expression.

"Still looks like a dress," he pronounced, and Harry muffled his laugh in the crook of his elbow. He couldn't help wearing a pair of Dudley's denims under it, cinched up by his belt wound around twice, as otherwise he felt too exposed. Although you wouldn't think he would, he thought ruefully, inspecting himself in the bathroom mirror. The robes fell down to his ankles, and drowned him. Dudley's were sized a bit better, but you could tell that they didn't really fit him either.

When they gingerly stepped into the living room, Harry still wearing his battered trainers as he had no other shoes, Snape was waiting, pacing impatiently.

"Good," he said, looking both of them over. "You look...acceptable."

Beside him, Dudley bristled, but Harry was just glad that it wasn't 'barely suitable' again like last night.

"Come on," Snape said, jerking his head toward the door.

He set a brisk pace, causing Harry to have to jog to keep up with him, but Harry didn't mind. He kept swiveling his head left and right, trying desperately to take in all the sights. The walls were covered in portraits and he could swear the people in them kept  _moving_. It was a strange thought- a  _freaky_ thought- but then wasn't all of this freaky?

Then again, that would mean calling  _Snape_ a freak, and Harry thought he'd rather drop dead and save the man the trouble.

The Great Hall was enormous. Four long, wooden tables sat empty, but Snape didn't lead them there. Instead, he strode toward a smaller table set up on a dais. There were only a few people seated, but they were all adults, and the only one Harry recognised was the old man who had helped rescue them the night before. Anxiety sloshed in his stomach and he found his steps unconsciously slowing.

"Come on, Harry," Dudley whispered. "It's okay."

"It's good to see you boys," Dumbledore said brightly. He, too, wore robes, but his weren't black like Snape's. Instead, they were a bright, eye-searing blue, dotted with gold stars. This cemented his colour-blindness in Harry's book. "Have a seat."

Harry found himself sandwiched between his cousin and Snape as Dumbledore introduced the others. There weren't many. Minerva McGonagall, who was a rather stern-looking elderly woman. Pomona Sprout was her direct opposite, a friendly squat-looking woman with greying hair and a wrinkly smile. Filius Flitwick was one of the shortest men Harry had ever seen, and his voice was squeaky to match. A thin-looking woman with dark hair was introduced as Aurora Sinistra, and the last-

Harry felt an odd familiarity settle behind his breastbone when the Headmaster introduced a massive, hairy man as "Rubeus Hagrid."

"I...remember you," Harry said slowly. He didn't mean to say it out loud, but he heard McGonagall's sharp intake of breath and watched Hagrid's eyes fill up with tears.

"Yeh-" The man's voice quavered as he fished in his pocket for a handkerchief. "The last time I saw yeh, yeh were jus' a baby."

"We flew across the sky," Harry said wistfully. "It was like magic." Then he remembered and clapped his hands over his mouth, horrified.

"'m sorry," he mumbled around his fingers. 

"He really is," Dudley assured the table. "He didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to what?" Snape inquired sharply.

"You know," Dudley said, lowering his voice. "Mention the m word."

"What in the bloody hell is the m word?" Snape sneered, ignoring McGonagall's hissed order to mind his language.

"Magic," Dudley whispered, forever the braver one when it came to issues of freakiness.

"Why on earth would the boy not be allowed to mention magic?" Snape asked. His voice was acid, but it still made Harry's breathing start to calm. "He's magic. You both are."

"Er-" Harry stalled, eyes huge beneath his mended glasses. "Sir?"

"You both are wizards," Snape said. "Surely you picked up on all of this last night?"

Harry shook his head, feeling uncomfortably dim. Snape sighed.

"I'm a witch," Pomona Sprout said in a conspiratorial-style whisper. "So is Minnie here, and Aurora. And Albus, Filius, Hagrid, and Severus are all wizards, too.  _All_ of us can do magic. It's perfectly all right to mention. You're going to be learning how to do it when you turn eleven, after all!"

Harry's mouth dropped open.

"Me, too?" Dudley asked, crowding in.

"Of course," Pomona said, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Merlin save us all," Snape said under his breath. Harry's lips twitched. The last vestiges of his panic attack fled when the plates in front of him suddenly bloomed with food.

"Magic," Professor Sprout said, winking.

Magic was  _brilliant,_ Harry decided.


End file.
